1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel formulations that contain materials generally regarded as safe (“GRAS”) useful for treating surfaces and as topical skin treatments. In particular, it relates to solutions that are spread on a surface to disinfect, sanitize and deodorize and on keratin substrates to aid in healing wounds and alleviating the symptoms of skin irritation caused by burns, insect and jelly fish bites, and plant irritants such as poison oak and poison ivy.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Low pH compositions and solutions containing acidic compositions are used for various industrial and general household purposes, such as cleaning and sterilizing surfaces and articles of manufacture. Examples include well-known household cleansers and disinfectants, industrial microchip production and cleaning agents, and anti-microbials. To work both effectively and efficiently, these solutions typically contain strong inorganic acids or organic solvents, which present health concerns to the user, may be corrosive to the substances they are designed to clean (e.g. metals) and pose an ecological hazard with respect to disposal.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,510,721 discloses solutions containing acidic compositions that have a pH of less than 1. The solution contains a first inorganic acid that dissociates nearly to completion in water, a second inorganic acid less strong than the first acid, a hydroxy acid having a chelating capability of at least twice the first and second acids; and a permanganate. The acidic compositions may be used in medical, industrial, military and household applications. Plants are constantly challenged by a wide variety of pathogentic organisms including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and menatodes. Attempts have been made to control plant disease by means of disinfections, replacement of the soil, various cultural practices, and control by chemicals. Some plants suffer from detrimental soil-spread diseases, which have not been possible to control owing to restrictions of use of chemical control agents and hazard periods due to possible residues or lack of sufficiently effective products.
About twenty-five (25) percent of all fungal diseases in agricultural and horticulture are caused by powdery mildew phytopathogens.
This problem is exacerbated once fruits and vegetables are picked, as the presence of fungus or mildew on the surface of the fruit or vegetable greatly shortens its shelf life, the time from when it is picked or harvested until it reaches the ultimate consumer.
Due to the vast economic ramifications of fungal propagation in agricultural and horticultural cultivations, a broad spectrum of fungicidal and fungistatic products have been developed for general and specific applications. Such examples are the use of inorganic bicarbonate, carbonate compounds, lecithin, and lime. However, these fungicidal and fungistatic products may be harmful to the environment and may pollute areas such as ground waters.
Further, growers are increasingly reluctant to use chemicals that may cause health problems if consumed by people and are constantly looking for safe materials to treat fruit and vegetables to extend their shelf life.
Thus, there is a need for a safe anti bacterial, mildew or fungal treatment which provides for an inexpensive way to kill and destroy microorganisms on surfaces without harming the environment.
Various treatments for skin irritation are known. For insect bites, such as mosquito bites, treatments such as Calamine lotion, have been used for many years. Cortisone treatment has also been used to treat numerous skin problems, including insect bites.
In addition to insects, there are numerous other sources of skin irritation. For example, numerous plants produce substances that have a toxic or irritating effect on skin. Poison Ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, etc. are only a few examples of many types of plants which have an injurious effect on human skin.
Insects and plants that attack people on land are only one source of skin irritation. There are also many waterborne hazards faced by humans. For individuals who swim in warmer coastal waters, sea lice represent a particularly disagreeable hazard. Sea lice is a commonly used colloquial expression which describes jelly fish larvae. Sea lice lodge themselves under the skin and result in unsightly welts and extremely irritated and sensitive skin. Treatment for sea lice is typically an agent designed to kill the cause of the irritation. The most common remedy being the use of chemicals such as ammonia to kill the offending organisms. While this will eventually resolve the problem, it does not provide any immediate relief to those being bitten by sea lice. Further, the use of ammonia exacerbates the stinging and burning sensation caused by the sea lice and actually increases user discomfort.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0045600 discloses a topical treatment for skin irritation that uses a spray-on liquid or a rub-on lotion based papain skin treatment for relief of symptoms related to skin irritation. Papain is suspended in a water solution that is spread on the surface of the affected area. The liquid solution ensures that the active ingredient contacts the skin without missing spots as may occur when using dry or powdered skin treatments. The papain is an active ingredient extracted from papaya which relieves the skin irritation caused by sea lice, insect bites, etc.
A disadvantage associated with treatments that do not alleviate pain and discomfort is that they create a situation in which the individual scratches the affected area, which further irritates the skin, and prolongs the healing process.
While addressing the basic desirability of treating sea lice to ensure their elimination, the prior art has failed to provide a method of treating skin irritations caused by sea lice, insect bites, etc. and which results in immediate relief of the symptoms.
It would be desirable to have a way to treat skin irritations caused by a variety of environmental conditions, including those conditions caused by waterborne nuisances such as sea lice, and land borne nuisances such as mosquitos, insects, and plants with substances that irritate skin (for example, poison ivy), which would immediately alleviate the pain and discomfort rather than increase it as the prior art treatments such as ammonia have done.